Timeline of History

Starting at 7:00 AM, riders of the Tokyo Metro subway are targeted by a series of sarin gas attacks launched by Aum Shinrikyo. This is the most serious act of domestic terrorism to occur in Japan and the most serious attack of any sort since World War II. It kills 13 people and injures over 1,100.

Aum Shinrikyo is run by Shoko Asahara and the motive for the sarin gas attack is either to help usher in an apocalypse or simply bring down the national government in Tokyo. James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton, two American scholars who specialize in new religions, attempt to defend Aum Shinrikyo but their claim that the group couldn't possibly have committed the attacks is contradicted by powerful evidence collected by police.

Aum Shinrikyo still exists today and is still on terrorist watch lists. Members claim to have renounced violence, though they still adhere to Shoko Asahara's teachings.